The City of Spies (1940-1945): Spanish Tangier and the British Policy

Authors

  • Susana Sueiro Seoane Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53351/ruhm.v4i8.136

Keywords:

Tangier, Second World War, Espionage, Franco's Spain, Great Britain, Germany

Abstract

In the context of the collapse of France in June 1940, the Franco regime saw the golden opportunity to fulfil the old yearning for occupying the international city of Tangier and incorporating it immediately into the Spanish Protectorate. Although the area of the Strait of Gibraltar was of priority concern for Great Britain, in those difficult hours other more vital interests were put before, so the occupation was accepted as a fait accompli and, by adopting an appeasing policy combined with an economic aid essential to Franco’s Spain, Great Britain succeeded in concluding an Anglo-Spanish agreement on Tangier which –although violated by the Spaniards on many occasions– preserved the enclave’s special status of free trade, as well as the freedom of movement for the British community which was a great asset to the Allies, whose secret services had there a significant base to infiltrate in French Morocco controlled by Vichy. Tangier also became the main center of espionage and political propaganda of the Axis in North Africa, in particular of Germany, whose secret activities from her recovered Consulate General in Tangier were favoured by the Francoist Government. This paper analyses the multiple functions performed by the secret agents from both sides, as well as some noteworthy incidents of this clandestine activity, such as a bomb explosion in the harbor of Tangier in February 1942.

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Author Biography

Susana Sueiro Seoane, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Susana Sueiro Seoane es profesora titular del Departamento de Historia Contemporánea de la Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia. Sus principales líneas de investigación giran en torno a la política española del siglo XX, los medios de comunicación en España y el anarquismo transnacional. Es autora de diversos artículos entre los que destacan “Spain during the Transition from Dictatorship to Democracy”, Contemporary European History, 13:3 (2004), pp. 367-374; o “Las redes anarquistas transnacionales en la era de los magnicidios: el asesinato de Canalejas”, Bulletin d’histoire contemporaine de l’Espagne, 49 (2014), pp. 217-232.

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FUENTES ARCHIVÍSTICAS

The National Archives (TNA), Kew (Gran Bretaña), documentación del Foreign Office (FO)

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Published

2016-01-12

How to Cite

Sueiro Seoane, S. (2016). The City of Spies (1940-1945): Spanish Tangier and the British Policy. Revista Universitaria De Historia Militar, 4(8), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.53351/ruhm.v4i8.136

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 8 (2015): Guerra de silencios. Redes de Inteligencia en España durante la II Guerra Mundial

Section

Dossier

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